#some think it may be carina but i don’t think so?

[onthwayhome]

wait, so apparently someone is dying in tomorrow’s season finale, and some people think it may be vic??? i am begging, please don’t let it be her

[accio-victuuri]

mini CPN post : friday sweets ( xzs’ video in hongkong + shared brands )

happy friday indeed! 🫶🏼

this is the video for reference.

xz and his beauty is totally the star of the video as well as xzs’ impeccable editing once again.

1. The most obvious thing is how 5 was emphasized early on in the video. It is a significant number for him because of his birthday 10/5, and the same goes for WYB. It’s both of their number. It also shows that numbers that his team focus on have meaning.

2. The lines mentioned in his vlog are as follows.

it’s not whether life is interesting or not, it’s because you love life, then it’s interesting.

This is such a nice quote, it’s not necessarily romantic but a nice advice for everyone.

the moon, is unique/the one and only, so are you.

So are you. I don’t really think he’s talking to us. Lol. My mind is just going back to the moon symbolism/cpn we have for them and how this reaffirms that. It’s a fascination that they both have. It’s so romantic!

3. Even the song they used for the video, it’s the OST for one of Leslie Cheung’s film - Days of Being Wild. The movie is also about the protagonist roaming around HK. He probably already watched this. and oh, it’s directed by WKW.

Days of Being Wild is a 1990 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Starring some of the best-known actors and actresses in Hong Kong, including Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung.

not really a cpn, but turtles are very fond of the potential that xz is a fan of leslie cheung. i mean what’s not to love and he is very popular after all.

It’s overall a really good video and doesn’t really need much cpn anymore 🫶🏼

tbh, the video makes me wish that they get to star in a hongkong-style film together.

As for the shared brands, this is something people have noticed. I understand if some may think that this is not CPN at all cause these are popular brands and i agree. It’s just that — this is how clowning works. 😂

P1 : YanYan wearing maison margiela

P2: ZZ staff with Chanel bag

P3: YanYan in Gucci

P4: Yibo wearing Polo ( Ralph Lauren )

so yeah, brands of the opposite person is appearing on them or their team. coincidence. 👀

-END

[captainsavre]

Hey! The shows that got "proper" trailers are the ones premiering on february (TGD, Abbott Elementary), it even says "official trailer". The shows premiering in march got a teaser trailer for the official trailer thats coming probably mid february.

GA got maybe a few more new scenes but a lot of the season finale as well, those are "teasers" for the season and not supposed to show so much new stuff as those are saved for the official trailer. 911 only had cgi and animated promo so all the scenes are new (and they're getting "new series" promo so different). What I mean, we still haven't seen the official trailer

Hmmm okay that actually makes some kind of sense, thank you for the info…

But I’m still mad though 😑 I’m mad because of that scene between Maya and Andy. I’m mad because there’s still no Carina/Stefania in the teaser and why does Greys has more new clips in theirs than S19?! Because Greys is Greys, you can say… yeah but the network should dedicate the same amount of energy and effort to all shows equally… specially when was S19 having the highest ratings and network’s highest numbers, a lot more than Greys actually 😒

Oh and why they didn’t mention the new time slot?!! The audience still think S19 will be on at 8pm when in fact has changed to 10pm… but they surely don’t want to people know that, ‘cause all they want is to the S19 audience watch 911 instead… so it increases 911 views and decreases S19’s and that way they have an excuse to explain the cancellation.

So yeah, it may only be a teaser, not a promo… but I’m still so f*cking mad 😠🤬

nothing against you anon, please don’t take it personally… i���m just so mad at this whole situation 😑

[girl4music]

CARINA: “How long are you going to angry-chop at me?”

MAYA: “I’m just chopping.”

CARINA: “You know, my Dad has bipolar I?”

MAYA: “You said that.”

CARINA: “And my sweet baby brother has inherited it.”

MAYA: “Are you talking about you, or are you trying to draw some kind of parallel? ‘Cause if it’s you, I’m all in. But there is no mental illness in my family.”

CARINA: “With or without mental illness, the-the human brain is brilliant, and it is devious, and it walls off what it doesn’t want to know.”

MAYA: “Got it. So you’re talking about me.”

CARINA: “What I’m trying to say, Maya, is that your mind is brilliant, and maybe you think you’re too smart to be in denial. Maybe you think you’re too smart to have been abused?”

MAYA:

*thumps cutting knife on table*

“Okay, I’m not interested in talking.”

CARINA: “I’m just trying to help.”

MAYA: “He never hit me.”

CARINA: “That’s not the only way to abuse somebody, Maya. My Dad has never hit me, either. He has never hit my brother, but that doesn’t mean that we were not abused. Psychological abuse, verbal abuse. They-they are real.”

MAYA:

*breathes deeply*

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

CARINA: “I don’t want to fight, either.”

MAYA: “Then I think you should go.”

CARINA: “What? This is not how you handle a fight. Maya I-I’m here for you. I’m not leaving.”

MAYA: “Okay, okay. I’m-I’m-I’m gonna… I need-I need to run. So I’m gonna-I’m gonna go on a run.”

Yeah, it’s not happening. Nothing is clicking. There’s just constant cognitive dissonance every time someone tries to get through to Maya and explain that she was abused, and still is, by the looks of it. The chemistry in her brain has been so throughly warped that she genuinely thinks that her father’s treatment of her is something that was good. That’s helped her. Even Andy, who is actually grieving her own father’s recent death, has discovered information that makes her think that there’s a possibility that her Dad wasn’t always the greatest guy to her mother, and Maya is even defending him, even though it’s Andy’s business.

This really is going to be a deeply complex and difficult arc for Maya and she’s pushing the only person away that will actually help her make a breakthrough on it and likely heal her trauma. It’s upsetting to see Maya react this way to her girlfriend. And the fact she’s already cheated on her because she doesn’t want to face her own emotions is very sad.

I want to say the way she’s acting is not okay but because I completely understand why she is, I can’t blame her for her actions and her hurtful words. I’ve been there. Hell, I’ve been worse. I’ve hurt people in ways where their broken relationship with me will never be fixed no matter how much they may love me. So I totally get it. Abuse is a beast - a real monster - but the worst kind is psychological abuse because you can never really free yourself from its clutches and you do just as much damage to others as was done to you.

Carina won’t leave Maya but I think for her own safety, - at least this early in their relationship - she should because this is something Maya will not listen to until she makes that breakthrough in acknowledging that it can be true even though she loves her Dad. She’s just in so deep with the conditioning that I don’t really know how the writers are going to get her to do that because, like I said, I was never as deep in as she is. I always knew that it was abuse the way me and my mom were treated by my Dad because of outside influence. Maya never had that outside influence so she’s grew up believing that that treatment was okay. It’s only now with her mom coming back into her life and apologizing that she never protected her and her girlfriend sharing similar experiences with her and even Andy possibly realizing it about her own Dad that that outside influence comes in to knock all the defensive walls in her throughly warped brain down.

She’s realized she’s broken.

That’s at least a small step in the right direction.

I just hope it doesn’t go the other way and she starts blaming and punishing herself. Internalizing her pain. I personally think the best thing she can do is to get professional therapy. Talk to that Dr. Diane Lewis because she has a knack for triggering the switch in a way that’s not harmful but gets inside people’s heads enough to make them think about how their past trauma has affected them and still continues to.

I predict that’s going to be how to reach Maya. The switch needs to be triggered. The click has to happen. And only somebody professionally trained should attempt to do it with a person as in denial as Maya is. Carina obviously cares enough to help Maya through this incredibly complex and difficult journey and I’m sure she’ll help her heal. But she needs to back off as of right now because she’s going to get hurt. A lot. Maya will continue to push Carina away and be mean and take out her own frustration with all of this on her the more she tries to push a perspective that doesn’t make sense for Maya because she can’t see it herself.

[mysticstronomy]

WHY IS JWST SO SPECIAL??

Blog# 213

Wednesday, July 27th, 2022

Welcome back,

On 12 July, the first set of full-resolution science images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was released. This set included astonishingly sharp pictures of the Carina Nebula, the Eight-Burst Nebula, a group of galaxies called Stephan’s Quintet and a galaxy cluster stretching the light of the objects behind it, as well as an analysis of the composition of an exoplanet named WASP-96b.

Here’s everything you need to know about the telescope that took these pictures and what it may be able to reveal next.

What is so special about these images? Didn’t we have the Hubble Space Telescope before JWST?

We did and do have Hubble, which produces so many gorgeous images of space. But JWST is way bigger, so its pictures are more detailed. It also observes in different wavelengths than Hubble, which allows it to see things – particularly super distant things – that Hubble can’t.

How close to the edge of the observable universe will JWST be able to see? I’ve seen 13.5 billion light years quoted – that seems very close to the age of the universe at about 13.8 billion years.  

JWST should be able to see between 100 and 250 million years after the big bang! But while that is up to about 13.7 billion years ago, it’s not 13.7 billion light years away – it is much further than that, because of the expansion of the universe.

Will JWST study supermassive black holes? Can it produce an image similar to the one from the Event Horizon Telescope?

JWST can’t make an image of a supermassive black hole like the Event Horizon Telescope did – that’s a different kind of telescope – but it will study them. In fact, the picture of Stephan’s Quintet that was just released is providing some interesting information on one already.

Is it possible for gravitational lensing [like that seen in JWST’s first deep-field image] to be strong enough to see yourself? Like, light does a U-turn?

Yes! Black holes can have a feature called a photon sphere, where gravity’s pull is so strong that light orbits the black hole. So if you aim a light just outside the photon sphere you could, in theory, see that light come around the other side of the black hole.

If JWST can see 13.5 billion years back, could we one day make a telescope that can “see” further than the beginning of time?

I wish! Unfortunately, there’s a fundamental limit to how far back we can see, because up until a little less than 380,000 years after the big bang, the universe was completely filled with hot plasma and was therefore opaque.

Can we see further back than 380,000 years after the big bang with gravitational waves detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) or the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)?

Love this question! Unfortunately, the answer is no, because gravitational waves come from the motion of masses, and there just weren’t any structures big enough to create measurable gravitational waves until about 100 million years after the big bang.

With the data and imagery collected, is it possible (or even probable) that scientists will revise the currently accepted age of the universe to be much much older than a mere 13.7 billion years?

It is possible that the data from JWST will cause us to revise the age of the universe based on new measurements of its expansion, but if so, it will probably go down rather than up. 

Was there anything unexpected about the spectra of the galaxy and exoplanet obtained so far?

I don’t think there was anything particularly shocking in the data that’s come down so far. The images are all of systems that are already very well studied, but we just have far more detail now than ever before. So, we are seeing new things, but I don’t think those are very unexpected.

Why did the JWST crew choose WASP-96b as the first exoplanet to analyse the composition of? What was special about it?

What’s special about WASP-96b is that it isn’t cloudy – the new spectrum shows some evidence of clouds and haze, but not much. That’s good because it allows the starlight to shine right through the atmosphere and for us to analyse it without being blocked by lots of clouds.

How will astronomers decide what to take a picture of [with JWST] next?

The first year of science has actually already been planned out. Researchers made more than 1000 proposals for what to observe, and they were selected by panels of scientists. 

Originally published on www.newscientist.com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, July 30th, 2022)

“WHAT IS INSIDE THE BLACK HOLE??”

[annakendrick89]

So I watched station 19…that episode hurt! Whilst I agree with some of the things being said about needing carinas POV and Jack dumping all of his feelings into her, i through the episode was amazing (we Mayas scenes).

As someone who has been sectioned under the mental health act and forced into treatment (undoubtedly that I needed at the time to save my life) but very much didn’t think I even needed at the time. It was harrowing watching Maya act and behave the way she did. You could see how she started acting like a caged animal, she was backed into a corner and given an ultimatum.

I also wanted to say as much as people don’t like it. Hurt people hurt people. Maya is obviously not well at all and she is pushing away the one person who can see that and wants to help (carina). Whilst it’s horrible to see its such an accurate depiction of a mental health crisis. They aren’t pretty, they are nice to be a part of. People scream, shout, threaten and push people away…heck when it happened to me the things I’ve said to people I care and love so deeply still haunt me.

The only thing I don’t agree with but it may be different in the USA to the Uk, but Carina should not have been the “other” doctor. Carina could have instigated the conversation and ultimately told the doctors Maya needed to be held but she should not have been the one to say. At that moment carina should have been a wife not a doctor. Teddy and someone else should have come in and said everything. Then at least Maya could have blamed the doctors. She still would have blamed Carina and I still think they would have fought but it wouldn’t have all come down to carina.

[idv-askchaoticduo]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAWRENCE!!!

From the Butterfly Circus crew

Phineas:- Happy birthday to my favorite fox boy~! Today is a day to celebrate the wonderful person that you are, hehehe~ Don’t you think I forget about your birthday! me and the rest kept planning for your Birthday party all weak and I even have a special show ready just for your!

OH! And I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much you mean to me :D! You bring so much joy and laughter to my life, just like a circus does to a town. We have shared countless wonderful moments together, and each one is a cherished memory that makes my heart smile more than you could have ever imagined!

you truly have a special way of turning ordinary moments into extraordinary ones, if it’s intentional or not, Oh~ just how Thankful I am just for having you as my boyfriend, my confidant, and my light!! With you by my side, every day feels like a spectacular show. I am beyond grateful to have you in my life.

On your special day, I wish for nothing but happiness, laughter, and the fulfillment of all your dreams. Let's raise our glasses high and toast to a year filled with love, happiness, and countless new memories together.

Happy birthday, my dear Law-Law~

Carina:- Awww~ such a loving speech, Phineas 🥺✨

I may not had a lot of chances to get to know you personally, Lawrence but with how Phineas keep talking about you with high regards, I can tell you are a wonderful person and deserves all the praise that’s coming from everyone!

There for~ I made this cake for you! Hope you find it to your liking, Happy Birthday Honey~💕

Flynn:- Happy Birthday. I know that I normally don’t stand your guts (and I still can not stand them) but it is still your birthday and therefore I am willing to put our differences aside and celebrate your special day. Also here…

Poppy:- We brought you a gift!! It is from Poppy and everyone, heheh~ HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Poppy hopes you gonna enjoy your special day and be happy all year long until the next Birthday :D!!!

(Ps:- the gift can be anything that you wants, is up to you of what the gifts would be!)

[Date of the ask - 9/13] The face of surprise and shock painted on the Gambler was one that was never seen before, taking a moment to process all that was happening before looking up at his beloved showman and friends (Flynn tooo I guess)

"Darling.. I.. Oh I just, give me a moment." He said as he took a moment to wipe away some tears and hug him, giggling in joy.

"Gracias.. Thank you so much! This means more than you can imagine, I didn't expect to bring joy to your life knowing the type of person I am , it's such an honor to keep lighting your days with just my mere prescense." "I really hope I can continue doing this and more for you, my love."

The Gambler separates from the hug and look at the rest, taking a hold of Carina's hand and placing a kiss on it.

"I believe we haven't meet each other formally before, I've heard a bit from you around the manor, quite the beautiful gal you are! Thank you for the cake, I'm sure it's just as sweet as you all!" Lawrence said while looking at Flynn jokingly.

"And you two... Thank you for putting your hate for me aside only for today, I know how hard it is knowing I'm so amazing for your brother and being jealous.. pfft-- I'm kidding, sorry, But thank you Flynn and Poppy, means a lot."

[zaedtalost-writes]

Echoes

Chapter Two

—-Series Rated : T for Teen

❗———-Implied child death

Attempting to sit himself upright, Orion was greeted by several of the sailors, who asked him what had happened, how he managed to find himself on the beach…  Everything one would expect.  The questions, however, were neatly explained away, even a neat little “I don’t know, maybe the tide” to explain his present resting place.  Just as they had come in to check if he was alright, they filtered out, leaving him on the dock with a blanket and some food, knowing he would do the same, were their positions reversed, and left him to wait for the inevitable arrival of the coast guard.

The wait would be a long one, though he could just see the last of the fire of his boat on the horizon and the many searchlights of the guard’s boats floating around the area, scanning and assessing damage, searching for survivors.  The usual.  It would take a long time before these ghostly lights made their way to the docks, a long time, Orion hoped, that would mean they’d found Charlie and were resuscitating him.  But somehow, somewhere, deep down, he knew…  That was not likely true.

And so, he watched, with tired eyes fixed upon the horizon, the nearly spectral lights of the rescue boats hoping for signs of life in their intricate ballet around the wreckage site.  In the back of his mind, pushing aside the doubts about his son, were concerns for his son, and sitting beside those concerns like a church lady in a very loud dress, was the brimming curiosity of what on earth he had just encountered that night that had managed to so politely save his life and then flee just as more help arrived…  Like something from a novel, but somehow infinitely more exciting and terrifying to behold.

Slowly, one by one, the rescue boats abandoned their search for any survivors and made their way toward the docks where Orion had sat and watched their morbid ballet take place upon the crystal sea.  One by one, the boats found their rest in the shallows, their occupants disembarking to interrogate Orion in their polite yet forceful manner, and one by one, the men got back on their boats and left, satisfied in the story they were told, which may have been a half-truth, but one told to keep the existence of the strange creature a safe secret.

The walk home seemed longer than it should have been.  Plagued by visions of the creature that saved his life, each memory recalled more horrifying detail than the last until Orion was absolutely certain that whatever had saved him was so far removed from human life that it was by sheer coincidence that it shared a skeletal plan as a human.  Stopping some thousand yards down the long road from his home, he stood, staring at the front door, wondering how on earth he could ever tell her.  How could he tell Carina about Charlie?  How could he tell the mother of their only child that their son was dead and he was, somehow, miraculously alive?  And that this was all thanks to some unknown species of interloper that crawled out of the ocean?  It was madness.  He knew it was.  That was exactly what she would think, and she was right.  But he had to try.

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Carina’s words of shock rang through his ears, spoken just briefly before some other statement that Orion honestly could not recall solely out of grief at the moment, moments before the front door of their home had slammed behind her.

That had been nearly an hour ago.  For nearly an hour, Orion had been sitting in the same place he was when he’d tried to tell his wife about the strange happenings and the death of their son.  Trying to piece it together; to figure out why on earth it had happened.  He knew she didn’t believe him, he never expected her to believe him, but there had to have been something else that had been eating away at the marriage for a while.  Something he missed.

Realizing that the reflection upon his now-ruined marriage was quite fruitless at 3AM, Orion shook the scrutiny from his mind, his thoughts lingering on the other, more important events of the night.  As if in a trance, he rose from his seat, collected a pencil and some paper, sat down at the desk in the bedroom he and his wife had once shared, and began to scribble.

At first, mere nonsense filled the page; jagged lines and wild scribbles that did nothing to intersect swarmed onto the paper like a million angry ants preparing for a prom that had been delayed twice already.  It was not until the sun began to break the horizon that this mess of scribbles had begun to take form:  Doriemere, the creature who had saved his life, the creature he hoped to find again soon.

Noticing the golden rays creeping upon his wall, Orion sighed and made to resign himself to bed.  With a good sleep, he thought, he would at least be able to go search for the creature and his son more efficiently.  His hopes that this was all a terrible dream faded with his consciousness as he curled into the thick, heavy blankets to hide his face from the intensifying sun.

[mayasdeluca]

How annoyed would you be if they make Maya and Carina adopt that waitress’s baby? Carina has said numerous times she doesn’t just want a baby. She wants to experience pregnancy and childbirth. She wants Maya by her side fully committed and involved. They’ve been going about this baby for 2 seasons now and if the writers make them adopt (despite the fact they’ve never once discussed adoption) I’d be highly annoyed. With the shortened season I fear they’ll take the easiest route they can so I don’t trust the writers to not mess up their S7 storyline. I want to see the IVF and pregnancy. I don’t want them to adopt or worse yet…skip over the entire pregnancy and in S7E1 they have a newborn.

I would be very annoyed, I don't want it. It would be out of nowhere for the reasons you said. They haven't even discussed adoption and yes, things happen and situations occur and of course they could always adopt in the future but they have been so set on starting their family with Carina getting pregnant and they deserve that. They've also spent too much time on it now to not do it. It would be ridiculous to drop all that for something like this. I don't think they'd have a newborn by the beginning of Season 7 (though I guess you never know with this show) but I could see Carina already being pregnant, especially if the season is shortened which it's already going to be and it's not back for a long time. So we unfortunately may miss the IVF stuff but I would hope we'd get some flashbacks? It would be nice to see them finding out they're pregnant or something along those lines if we aren't going to see any of the process but we'll see. If they have a newborn in the first episode they would have to do some flashbacks though because wtf lol

[ladytauria]

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

aaaah thank you! <3

—

"Jinmay!" he shouted.

She finally turned—and found herself with an armful of preteen boy.

"It’s really you!" Jas said. "Where have you been? Why didn’t you come home? Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Can you not leave? Are you trapped here?" Each question was thrown, rapid-fire, at the robot girl, who blinked at him, arms… not quite wrapped around him.

Yenna rushed forward. "Jas, give her a second to speak!"

"I’m… sorry," she said slowly, looking up from Jas to Yenna, then to Lurah, who had stepped forward now. Dread curdled in her stomach, a new possibility, one she should have considered ages ago now at the forefront of her mind. "Do… we know each other?"

( starting things off with a srmthfg fic! this is from the jinmay’s origin fic! i think i told you about it a while ago?? but i don’t remember if i shared anything xD it’s fairly OC heavy, & takes some inspiration from My Life As a Teenage Robot )

—

Tonight was her test. She had spent the past few weeks preparing for it, making sure she had everything she needed.

First, she had to master an enchantment which would allow an object to be capable of flight. Carina had chosen a broom, figuring if she was to play the part of a witch, she might as well go all the way. Once she had enchanted the broom, she had needed to master a few other spells. A shield spell, in case someone decided to use her for target practice, and an illusion spell, to keep her identity from being discovered.

In that, too, she had taken inspiration from the old wives’ tales of witches. Green skin, hooked nose, black hair, and warts. Carina doubted any actual witch looked like that, but it would do well for her purposes.

She was ready.

Carina held out the broom, horizontal, lined up with the balcony railing. “Rise,” she commanded quietly.

( something from my fairytale collection! this is inspired by a prompt rather than an actual tale, but i’m very proud of how it’s going~ per usual tho, i just need to finish it :P )

—

Theron suppressed a sigh. Normally he was quite good at this; getting people to relax around him. A very important trait for a healer to have, really. But she… seemed resistant to his charms, such as they were.

It’s not as if you’ve been trying. That was true. He hadn’t been; too used to being liked on sight, to having people calm with a smile or two and a few soft jokes or reassurances. This was new.

He took a breath. “You know, I don’t believe I ever caught your name.”

She shrugged. “My name is not of import.”

“Calling you ‘the Black Knight’ is rather impersonal… even when done in my head.”

“I’m rather fond of impersonal.” Her words sounded final, but she kept speaking anyway. “But if it bothers you so, I have gone by many other names. For you…” She tilted her head, considering; her eyes sharp as she scrutinized him. It was a challenge not to squirm in his seat. “You may call me Ash.”

“But that isn’t your name, is it?” he hazarded.

“What is a name, other than something people call you?” Her gaze still pinned him, and while he felt less like he was about to be eaten alive, he felt far too… seen for his comfort.

( another from the fairytale collection, this time about a healer prince & his bodyguard—who is more than she appears ;) )

—

“I need my bones read.”

“Sure,” the young man says, gesturing to a curtained of door. “Right this way.”

“No,” Faye says. “You misunderstand. I need my bones read.” She taps her arm, for good measure, and the young man’s brow furrows.

“But… you’re still alive,” says the young man, doubt creasing his face.

Faye grimaces. “I was hoping we could work around that.”

“How, exactly?”

“X-rays…?” She holds up a folder, shaking it slightly.

( and for the last section, have another section of the faye prompt fill~ )

[idv-ask-the-showman]

A basket of bread, cloud berries and some cheese and spices for each individual.

You're not entirely sure who it's from, or where it came from. But attached to each basket has a small note attached to it.

"Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May you enjoy your festivities and traditions with those you care and love for. Be it family or friends. I sincerely wish you all the best. Good fortune to your matches as well."

~ ?

“GUYS, GUUUUYS~ LOOK!!! POPPY FOUND BASKETS FULL WITH FOOD FOR EACH ONE OF US IN FRONT OF THE DOOR!!”

Carina, Flynn, and Phineas turn to look at Poppy who is running toward them while carrying each basket with one even sitting on top of his head with perfect balance. “Ah- Poppy!! honey, Be careful now!! Here let me help you with those~” Carina said while standing up from Phinea's lap and going to help Poppy with the baskets.

“Huh?… just how many times are people gonna leave gifts in front of our door other than handing them in person?” Phineas chuckled while also going to take a look at the baskets “Now now~ brother, you know you actually like it when people leave gifts for you!”

Flynn sighed with a hint of worry in his eyes “Yeah but we need to remember this is the manor… who knows if whoever sent this gift had poisoned the food or not?”

“Do not worry Flynn~ Poppy saw the other guests in the manors also get one and they all seem fine so Poppy is 100% sure it is okay to eat, look Poppy would even eat one to assure you!” Poppy ate one of the bread and of course, he has to overreact to the taste, he cannot help but jump on the place while enjoying the bread.

“Yeah but what if it's a trick to lower our guard? Besides I do not think Poisane work on you Poppy, you are a do--” Carine covered Flynn’s mouth from behind gently with a giggle “Flynn~ come now, do not over-analyze the reason behind why we received such a wonderful gift!”

“Yeah! After all, it is Christmas no? That is enough good reason to receive a gift, Don’t you want to try some of the snacks that came with it? There are even cookies in here!” Phineas said while holding a cookie and waving it around, which slowly got Flynn’s interest and soon enough he gave in and snatched the cookie from Phineas’ hand and ate it.

“I guess you right….”

“YAAAAY!!!”

“Weak against sweets as always~”

“Haha~ to whoever sent this wonderful gift, thank you !”

[drgnrder82]

TMNT Fanfic Project Alpha Chapter 14

The first refusal was supposed to be a warning, but Stockman never handled his temper well. Carina gritted her teeth and bared the punishment, if only for the sake of glimpsing the open folders on Stockman's make-shift desk. She instantly recognized Chris' identification number associated with his Alpha program medical records. And Tama's, Ryu's, Kyo's, Alice's…

Stockman bit at her when his anger was depleted, "Activation requires a key component that we don't have yet! Figure it out…" Stockman threw a sealed glass container at her. Its gray contents moved… unnaturally, to say the least. When they should dip, it climbed. 

He tossed a file folder, too, but Carina's brain was hazy from pain. 

Aggravated already, Stockman snapped in her face, clucking at her. "You'll never last if you can't even do the simplest tasks." 

Activation. Compound.

Carina's world spun, and she grabbed the table for stability, knocking a few folders to the ground. Another number, another group.

Another group?

The groups in the Alpha Program… each had been forced through different trials. 

"They put too much gas in your room. Imbeciles! How am I supposed to work…" 

The haze made more sense now. Carina had returned to the closet after seeing Saki. A dead man alive and well... at least, more well than a dead man should be. But she didn't quite remember coming to Stockman's lab again. 

She leaned into the feeling. Shoving more papers down. Stockman threw shouts and slurs and more out the doorway. “Take her away! Don’t put so much in next time!” 

Car had enough time to see one more file header, blink a few times and try to commit it to memory before hands grabbed her. 

"Wake her up a bit. Huh?" 

Just grin and bear it…

***

"Anything?" Chris rushed to the door of the sewer 'lair' as soon as he heard the mechanism shift to open. He knew the answer just from watching Don glued to his wall of computers. 

All three pairs of green shoulders slumped. Casey dropped his hockey stick and kicked it across the room into Mike’s skate ramps as April avoided all eye contact. 

“You’d think we’d have found some clue by now,” April sighed. 

"We didn't even know the Foot was still operating until Winter's…" Leo bit his lip. "If they are not actively out scouting materials for whatever their plan is, we may never find them." 

"We're making grandiose assumptions. Like that they are still in New York." Don wandered into the kitchen, straight for the coffee pot. "Checking all outbound air traffic though, no flights seem suspicious, and no unknown occupants headed to Tokyo." 

Chris squeezed his cell phone. He’d certainly had Kyo check all outbound flights for the past two days and already knew that! What he didn’t know was where the hell his sister was!

“I think,” Chris tried to keep a civil tone, “we all are assuming they are still in the city.” 

Read the entire chapter here on AO3.

[new-old-friend]

#3 Iron Will

#2 -> Here

"You caught the attention of a very strange man. That elezen, over there." Said Lena, indicating with a nod a suspicious figure, not distant to them.

Half a day had passed before the adventurers met again in the Aetheryte Plaza, all equipped with armor and weapons, and almost ready for new amazing quests. Almost, yes, because not everyone were satisfied with their own choices. Specifically, Carina instead of fighting with her sword and shield was fighting against them, trying to find, unsuccessfully so, a way to hold and reholster her weapons.

  “I’m surely missing something here. The sword is heavy and the shield is bulky. How should I carry those things?” She said, fumbling with those tools.

  “Is there a sort of sword case inside the shield? Maybe you can put the weapon there.” Said Kane.

  “Her shield is a door, at most it can have a keylock.” Said M’kenzie.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I have one too.” Sai M’kenzie showing a shield and a club.

  Carina looked at his shield-door and at her’s with mopey face. “Geez, how do you manage to hold those two things?”

  “Well, first of all a wooden club isn’t heavy as a steel sword, second I’m not high as a lalafell.”

  “Hey!” She said offendend. Her height, as the height of Lena, was always a target of teasing.

  “Do you want to try something else, Carina?” Said Kane.

  “I don’t know. But you do want to, right?”

  “Very likely. Not immediately, but I’ll keep my eyes open to other alternatives."

"You've always liked skewing things. Mayhap you should become a cook." She winked.

"Mayhap." He poked his tongue out. "In any event - if I may - I suggest you to do the same.”

 “We’ll see. It takes an Iron Will to deal with certain things, and I have little patience with stuff that unnerves me.”

Kane giggled. “Yes, I know.”

The four adventurers were quite loud while attempting to find a way to help Carina, and a little crowd had gathered around them, someone curious about all the fuss, whilst others were just laughing and mocking them.

  “I think that is a fine moment to show them my new brass knuckles.” said Lena glancing around.

  M’kenzie grabbed her from a shoulder. “Chill, sister.”

  “Just showing. I’m not going to punch them. Unless I have to.”

Whilst they were talking, Lena intercepted the gaze of a weird man who was looking at Carina. An elezen, dressed with a long dark robe, head covered by a white hood topped with a strange device resembling a pair of glasses, and another pair of dark glasses on his face. And also, a peculiar tattoo on the right side of his visage, a tattoo that Lena was sure she already had seen elswere.

"You caught the attention of a very strange man. That elezen, over there." Said Lena, indicating with a nod a suspicious figure, not distant to them.

She stared at that man for a moment, curiously enthralled, and smiled softly at him. The man gasped for a second, stunned by the combination of that sweet smile and those shining, violet eyes. He responded to that smile with a bow.

"I don't find him suspicious."

  "Are you serious? He has the word suspicious written all over his face and on every piece of his garment."

  "He bowed." She sai keeping smiling. "He seems a well mannered guy, and I bet that he also has a beautiful voice."

  "We lost Carina." Said Kane, pressing hard his lips, trying to hold back a chuckle.

  “Alright,” M’kenzie was a little annoyed by all that fuss, so he tried to hurry up and help Carina. “Let’s try this: hang your shield on your back and the sword on the waist, on the other side of your main hand.”

  “Uhm,” Said Carina to herself, equipping her weapons. “Yes, this should work. Well," she turned to the rest of the group, "shall we move? With a little luck, Momodi has found us some work." Lena was glaring again at the people around them. She drews out her knuckles ready to punch someone in the face. Carina grabbed Lena by an arm and pushed her towards the direction of the Quicksand.

  “Don’t shove me, Carina!” Shouted Lena.

The elezen was still watching them, hiding his bewitched gaze under his eyeglasses, and his smile under his hood. "Carina," he said. "Lovely."

  Carina stood before him, her arms bent and hands resting on her waist. She was smiling at him sweetly, staring with a glance somewhere between a desire to tease him and a deep craving to hold him.

He caressed her cheek and cupped her face with his hand, tilting his head towards her, and…

She suddenly woke up, surprised and a little embarrassed of that dream. She smiled shyly and went back to sleep, hoping to dream of him again.

He suddenly woke up, astonished, amazed, with a deep desire to caress her face for real, and a growing eagerness of kiss her. He adjusted his head on his pillow, closed his eyes and spent the whole night awake, daydreaming of her.

[metabolizemotions]

The end of vic’s accidental conception was treated with care, as it should be. But it was still a convenient plot device used to magically resolve her post-Dean depression and her messy breakup. And she lives happily ever after. - This bothers me so much and it's an insult to people who struggle with mental health issues. No amount of positive thinking or in Vic's case sex with Theo can heal depression but apparently in S19 world it works for her. All she needs is sex and she is perfectly fine.

There is indeed a disconnect b/w the way they portray such topics and the situations in real life.

Depression is manifested differently in different people and we don’t know if those portrayed on the show are clinically depressed and the exact state of their mental health.

For Vic, previously she jumped into a relationship with Jackson in an attempt to forget the pain of losing Ripley. She also tended to use humor to cope. So maybe focusing on the happy things in her life - her relationship - helped. But she seemed depressed for a long time and we don’t know if there’s previously unresolved grief, so the sudden switch came across as jarring. The show has also been inconsistent when it comes to showing the passage of time so we wouldn’t know if it’s really sudden.

In the abortion episode, I loved Barrett’s performance and thought it was generally well-executed. Theo’s support for Vic was sweet. Some people find that the focus was less on what a woman was going through than on what a man felt about the situation and that he made it about himself by getting mad at Vic for not allowing him to help. As much as I like Vic and Theo as a couple, it does come across as Theo being the one to rescue Vic.

For Jack, his state of mental health seemed as serious when he was grieving Dean. But he seemed to have recovered more quickly. Again, this isn’t exactly a fair comparison. But it would seem like a man was able to rely on himself to recover by throwing himself into work. It is a plausible interpretation. Tho I also suspect this being connected with the donor s/l. Maya was urging Carina to console him. This may be the start of their friendship and them working together in the clinic - so he had to recover faster to be seen as a more viable donor perhaps. (Side note, I would have loved for him to heal by finding his bio family and love interest instead cos I like him as a character but not as the donor.)

I’m also thinking about the mental health of Andy and how she would cope as the situation unfolds. Things are of a different nature and I don’t know if they will delve into that.

I understand this is drama and these are common plot devices but some people do find topics such as depression and SA triggering when they are not handled appropriately. (Another side note, I don’t know if you watch 9-1-1, but I find that the way they deal with topics of mental health is much better. The relationships are maintained and the characters have a consistent support system. Each character’s story is given justice and the progress is more organic unlike on station 19, where characters are more isolated, written to fit the storylines and the storytelling is unbalanced.)

[booasaur]

Different anon but would you be able to explain how the Station 19 baby storyline is misogynistic because I don't see that. Thank you.

Hmm, okay, so, the choice to center a male character in the storyline of an f/f couple trying to get pregnant is both because of homophobia AND because of  misogyny.

Wlw characters and couples tend to face the individual and combined bigotry of being women (queer or not), so less focus, less screentime, having their stories be eaten up by men’s (even the actual lead Andy falls prey to this sometimes), etc. as well as being queer, their relationships and identities aren’t as valued or written with the same care and thought and time, thoughtless bigotry may creep in from ignorant writers, intentional bigotry from network pressure or literal censorship, and so on. 

And they’d take on even additional layers if one or both were WOC or on other axes of marginalization. Each of these layers both adds to and changes how the couples or character are seen and treated. The issues with how f/f couples are written aren’t identical to what m/m couples face, right. You don’t hear nearly as much when it comes to canon m/m couples how obsessed they are with kids or how women are pushed into their storylines, for example.

Here specifically, they could have gone with an anonymous donor and actually, every objection they used for that is only made worse in Jack? If they want to make sure they know the donor’s family history and it’s solid, Jack is not your guy. If they want someone who will look out for Carina in case Maya, in her risky profession, is ever unable to, he’s...also a firefighter?? If they’re looking for someone reliable, his literal role in the show is that he’s the least reliable and dependable of EVERY single member of that firehouse, that’s his whole thing. I mean, Beckett is maybe worse for the time being?? I guess if they absolutely HAD to pick between the two, Jack would be the less worse option? Good thing they aren’t limited to just them!

They could have chosen a donor like Travis, which would have been not a big deal, they could have picked Maya's brother like they hinted at, which might been its own dramatic arc but he wouldn’t constantly be part of this pregnancy and their lives on screen like Jack is going to be. But they picked Jack, because they WANTED to give him importance in this. They wanted the drama of it being him and therefore the weight of screentime that it would result in. Carina needed to become friendly colleagues with him and she needed to suddenly point out all the ways he was likable and such a great guy, making it about how he is worthy and good.

The misogyny is also the fact that it's simply expected that him being the guy that Maya cheated with should be forgiven and should be no big deal. Being the unreliable guy who sleeps around and hooks up with everyone is considered his charm, when that would NEVER be how people look at a woman who would exhibit the same behavior. Look at the resentment Andy is met with for doing even a fraction of that. And again, not just forgiven and friendly now, but picked and praised as the donor for their child??

And here’s another way my friend brought that I hadn’t even specifically been thinking of, but on some level just knew and accepted, I guess. Jack's place in this family's life is much easier digested AND encouraged because it’s two women, and a man's role is just considered important in a child's life, because kids need a father figure. 

Sure, TV places too much emphasis on biological parents and family to the point of making adoption/IVF seem a distant second class last resort, that’s a whole 'nother issue, where older kids always seek out their bio parents to bond and get to know them because they just gotta, but at the having-the-baby stage itself, when m/f couples are having trouble conceiving, there’s hardly ever the push for the surrogate or donor to stay in their lives, right. Just as with m/m couples there’s almost never the message of "But surely the surrogate/egg donor will be part of the future family! Kids need a mother figure!" I get that they wanted to parallel Danielle’s story, in which case they should have asked a friend of the couple, Travis, and not the guy one of them cheated with.

They could have done this all so differently and I’m sure if asked, they’d be like, well, we just wanted to do three characters’ arcs at the same time, as a lot of good storytelling is, right, you combine threads. But it’s just funny how often certain characters’ arcs suffer at the expense of others’.

[tchallasbabymama]

Don't Forget About Us

Hello, my lovelies. Here’s my contribution to @nahimjustfeelingit-writes smut challenge (the prompt is in bold!) Let’s see what Erik’s up to now, shall we?

Don’t forget to check out my masterlist to read my other stories and oneshots. Your comments and reblogs mean the world to me, so make sure to let me know what you think! And let me know if you want to be tagged in any of my writing. Enjoy😘

Word count: 5,595

CW: smut...duh.

“So, what do you do for a living?”

Kayla sighed internally at the question and took a sip of her Pinot Grigio. She hated first dates with a burning passion, but unfortunately, that was the only way to find a man around here. She went through the motions of politely answering his questions, barely asking any of her own. She didn’t care. Even just fifteen minutes in, Kayla could tell he didn’t excite her, and she lamented the waste of a good outfit as she listened to him drone on about his life. Every now and then, he’d stop and ask a question about her, but she could tell he was only asking so he could talk more about himself.

How many siblings do you have?

What’s your sign?

Why did your last relationship end?

Her mind traveled to her ex-boyfriend, Erik Stevens. They had spent six blissful years together, and Kayla thought he was the one. She wanted them to get married and start a family, and she thought he did, too, but every time she brought it up, he’d find some excuse to change the subject. At thirty years old, Kayla wasn’t getting any younger, so she grew tired of his avoidance and eventually cut him loose. She needed more out of life, but the guy currently sitting across from her certainly wasn’t it.

“We wanted different things,” she answered vaguely and took another sip. It would be a long night with what’s-his-name. David? Devon? Whatever. At least he had money and took her to a nice restaurant.

Darryl took the opportunity to bore her with the details of his job, which Kayla already knew. He was a colleague of her best friend, Carina’s husband. They worked at the same law firm, and Carina decided to hook them up after tiring of hearing Kayla complain about dating apps. As much as Kayla hated Tinder, she would’ve much rather been at home on her couch swiping left on the cesspool of single men Oakland had to offer. Every few dozen swipes or so, she’d find a cutie, but his bio would be abysmal, or his conversation skills would fall flat.

Despite the fact that their relationship just couldn’t make it, Kayla still thought of Erik as the gold standard. Just thinking about his dimples and his struggle beard made her smile dreamily. His big, strong arms would wrap around her and hold her tight at night, and she’d trace her fingers over the intentionally placed keloid scars that held his darkest secrets. She missed retwisting his locs and the way he always smelled like sandalwood and warm vanilla. Kayla didn’t want to admit it, but she still loved him. No man could compare to her Erik.

“Hello? Kayla?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Can you repeat that last part?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. What’s got you so distracted, babygirl?”

Kayla fought the bile rising in her throat. She wasn’t his babygirl. It didn’t even sound right coming from his mouth. Maybe it was the thinness of his lips. They weren’t “white man” thin, but they couldn’t hold a candle to the juicy pussy pleasers she had grown accustomed to.

“Nothing, just thought I saw somebody I know. You were saying?”

“Just that you look beautiful tonight,” Damon attempted to flirt with her.

Kayla wanted to roll her eyes but thanked him instead and smiled politely again. Of course she looked beautiful; she had pulled out all the stops for what she had hoped would be a good night out. Kayla had squeezed her thickness into a lavender satin dress. The way the dress’s skirt cinched on the side kept it snug around her plush waist, but the high slit that traveled up her thigh was the main attraction. The strappy silver heels on her feet showed off her matching pedicure that contrasted beautifully with her glistening brown skin, and her makeup was flawless. Her outerwear for the night, a cropped fur jacket that had found its way to the coat check when they arrived, was the icing on the cake. Her outfit deserved the appreciation, just not from Deshawn.

The waiter saved her from having to focus on her date when she brought out the food they had ordered. Since Kayla knew Derek had money, she had ordered the whole lobster, and she fought her mouth from drooling too much as the waiter set it down in front of her. It laid on a bed of forbidden rice, and the side of roasted brussels sprouts and cremini mushrooms looked heavenly. The ramekin of drawn butter off to the side tempted her as it sat next to the minuscule seafood fork. She may not enjoy her company for the evening, but Kayla damn sure was going to enjoy her meal.

“Looks good,” Dominic called from the other side of the table, breaking Kayla from her trance as he cut into his wagyu beef.

“Sure does.” Kayla wasted no time before digging into her meal. Not only was it the perfect excuse to avoid conversation, but it was perfect, period.

A slight chill permeated the air as the door swung open and the crisp January air entered the small restaurant. Kayla shivered as she complained internally about being forced to sit near the door, but that shiver intensified as she heard a voice. His voice.

“Reservation for Stevens, please.”

Kayla stilled.

“Of course. Right this way, sir,” the maitre d’ responded, and Kayla heard three sets of footsteps coming her way.

--------

“Babe, let’s go!”

“Yell at me one more time, woman,” Erik warned as he came around the corner into the living room, fastening his watch.

“I swear, you take more time getting ready than I do.”

“Whatever, Mo. You ready?”

“Nigga, I been ready!”

Erik rolled his eyes and grabbed his keys. It would be a rough night, and things were already starting off on a bad foot. He and Monique had been seeing each other for the better part of a year, and he’d finally reached his limit. She was overbearing, rude, and just after him for his money, but he hated being alone, so he put up with her bullshit. His cousin, T’Challa, had tried to hook him up with a few ladies back in Wakanda when he went to visit after his breakup, but nothing stuck. Almost immediately after coming back to the states, Erik met Monique at a charity event for the Outreach Center. She had the singing voice of an angel and had been booked as the entertainment for the evening. Erik was drawn to her like a sailor to a siren, and she immediately sank her teeth into him. Past her vocal talents, Monique wasn’t really anything special. Her personality left a lot to be desired, she wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box, and she just wasn’t her.

The moment Kayla ended their relationship a year ago, Erik’s whole world shattered. He had lived a life full of pain and loss, but Kayla had been his lifeline. She pulled him out of the dark and made him revel in the sunshine. Hell, she was the sunshine, but now he had settled for a UV lamp at best. Kayla had wanted a life that Erik was too scared to give her, but that fear became his downfall. He still missed her most nights. He was lonely, and Monique was there to keep him company, but that wasn’t enough for him anymore. Erik craved a connection that Monique just couldn’t provide. So he decided he had to break it off and figured that doing so in a public place would probably be best. She had a tendency to throw things when she got angry.

The car ride to Chez Martine was tense. Monique had been angry all day because Erik had taken back his credit card even though she wanted to buy a new dress for their date. Her lousy mood almost made him dump her back at his condo, but Erik kept a cool head and stayed focused on the plan. He ignored the way Monique complained the entire time she got ready, reluctantly putting on a dress he had seen her wear before. It didn’t matter to him; he knew what the night held.

When they walked into the restaurant, Erik’s heart dropped into his stomach. He’d recognize that shoulder blade tattoo anywhere. She had cut off all her hair and lost a few pounds, but he knew for sure that he was looking at Kayla. His Kayla. He forced himself to look straight ahead as they passed her table and prayed that the maitre d’ didn’t sit them where she could see him. Unfortunately, he had no such luck because the only open table for two was directly within her line of sight. He prayed again that Monique would sit on the far side of the table, but Bast ignored his pleas once more. He had to sit facing her, and as soon as he got comfortable in his chair, her gaze slyly trailed over to him. They locked eyes across the room, and Erik’s heart stopped. She was just as beautiful as the last time he saw her all those months ago, but who the fuck was that sitting across from her?

“What are you looking at?” Monique’s abrasive voice cut through his eardrums.

“Nothing. Just thought I saw someone I know, that’s all.”

She cut her eyes at him and turned around to look as he buried his face in the menu.

“Quit being nosy,” he complained.

“I just wanna see who’s got your attention, that’s all.” Monique turned back around with a sour look on her face. “It’s probably that fat girl with her cleavage all out.”

“Mo, just look at the fucking menu and act like you got some sense.”

“Fine.”

Monique pouted until the waiter showed up, but she plastered a fake smile on her face as he took their order. As usual, she ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, and it bothered him to no end that she was hellbent on spending all of his money. Of course, he had plenty, but she felt entitled to it. Kayla never cared about him being rich. Hell, when they got together, she didn’t even know he was a prince, but he loved to spoil her nonetheless. He loved the look on her face when he’d buy her things or take her on the expensive trips that she more than deserved. Kayla appreciated everything he did for her with all her heart, but she’d say the same thing every time.

“Thank you, baby, but you’re all I need.”

Erik smiled fondly at the memory of when he bought her a diamond tennis bracelet from Wakanda for their second anniversary. She was so excited to have diamonds that weren’t marred by exploited labor that she damn near dropped the box when she saw what was inside. It had been a rough year for them, what with him disappearing for a couple of months to seize the Wakandan throne and all. She certainly had plenty of colorful words for him when he came back. He’ll never forget the look on her face when he showed up at her door. He had brought T’Challa for backup just in case, but she looked right past the king as tears welled up in her eyes at seeing her Erik, alive and well.

Erik’s eyes started to get misty as he thought about the way she kissed him with so much emotion...then slapped him across the face for leaving. His gaze wandered back over to Kayla and he noticed the light bounce off of something on her arm. She was wearing the bracelet.

As if she felt his glare, Kayla shifted uncomfortably in her seat, so he averted his eyes back to Monique, who had caught him staring again.

“Why don’t you go say hi?” she asked sarcastically, making him roll his eyes so hard they almost got stuck.

--------

Erik Stevens. Here, of all places. He just had to be here.

Kayla noticed that he didn’t seem to be enjoying his modelesque date’s company any more than she was enjoying Darwin’s, and the pang of jealousy she felt at seeing him with another woman went away. She knew she had no right to feel any kind of way about it, especially since she was the one that broke things off. That didn’t make it any easier, though.

Dylan was too wrapped up in his steak to notice her wandering eye, but it seemed that Erik’s food was as uninteresting as the woman across from him. Kayla watched as he half-heartedly pushed it around his plate, but he certainly kept his favorite whiskey coming. She wanted to chuckle but didn’t want Daniel to think he had anything to do with her levity. They were both drowning their dissatisfactions in their alcohols of choice, and Kayla got a phantom taste of Uncle Nearest 1856 on her lips as she watched him take a sip. When he set the glass down and licked his lips, Kayla felt flush. She missed those lips…

“So, how about dessert?” Damien asked as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “I hear their creme brulee is amazing.”

“Uh, sure, why not?”

“You know,” he began as he leaned in and reached for her hands. She allowed him to take them, but the softness of his hands disgusted her. No callouses, no roughness, not even a firm grip. “I’ve had a great night. I’d love to see you again.”

Kayla chuckled nervously, unsure of how to proceed.

“What are you doing next-”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

A shrill voice pierced the air as Erik’s date bolted up from her seat. Desmond, and the whole restaurant, turned around to see what was going on, and Kayla took the opportunity to remove her hands from his.

“Keep your voice down,” Erik sneered through his teeth. “We’re in public.”

“So?! You bring me out here just to dump me? To dump this?!” she gestured at her slim figure, and he rolled his eyes.

“You ain’t even all that,” he waved her off. He was tired of playing nice, and Kayla could see the exasperation written all over his face.

“Excuse me, miss-” the waiter attempted to calm her down, but the crazed woman cut him off.

“Stay out of this!”

“I’m so sorry,” Erik mouthed to the poor man who would absolutely be getting a monstrous tip later.

“Oh, you’re sorry for him, but not for me?”

“Mo, just sit down. We can finish our meal like adults-”

“Fuck you, Erik.” She threw her dirty martini at him, soaking the front of his all-black ensemble.

Kayla could damn near see the steam coming out of his ears as his apparent ex stormed out of the restaurant. Erik locked eyes with her across the room, and when he saw the concern written all over her face, his softened.

“Whew, poor fella,” Dexter commented as he turned back around. “Where was I? Oh-”

“Excuse me, where’s your restroom?” Kayla interrupted him as their waiter walked by.

“Right down there.” She pointed at a set of stairs off to the side, and Kayla thanked her as she slid out of her seat.

“I’ll be back, Darius.”

“It’s Denzel.” He deflated.

“Fuck,” she froze. She had been sure it was Darius. “Still, I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here,” he responded, obviously upset by her slip-up.

Kayla hurried off down the stairs and leaned against the wall as she waited for either of the single-use restrooms to open up. She took a deep breath and opened her clutch, reaching in to pull out her phone with a shaky hand and typing in his number. It was one of the few she had memorized, just in case.

“You ok?”

Her thumb hovered over the send button, but she couldn’t press it. Her heart nearly thumped out of her chest at the thought of starting a conversation with him, but something within her said that she should. It would be weird not to say anything after all that, right?

“Hey-”

“Shit!” Kayla dropped her phone when his silky baritone graced her ears.

“My fault, ma.” Erik leaned over and picked the phone off the floor, checking it for cracks. He saw she had typed a message out to him and smirked before handing it back to her.

“T-thanks.”

“No problem. And, yeah, I’m ok.”

“Huh?”

Erik pointed at her phone screen.

“Oh! Right. Um, well, that’s good to hear.” Kayla attempted to push her hair behind her ear out of habit, forgetting she had just cut it all off a week ago.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You ok? You don’t seem to into ole dude out there.”

Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes, “Oh, him.”

“Damn, it’s like that?” Erik laughed, and she slapped his arm. That slight contact was enough to spark a flame in them both, and Erik’s face turned serious. “For real, though, not going well?”

“Better than you, it seems,” she quipped as she eyed his wet shirt. That was a bad idea because his first three buttons were undone, and she caught a peek of the raised scars that she missed so much. And that broad chest, and the chain with his father’s ring that he always wore. He’d let her wear it from time to time, and she always felt like it was such an honor. He trusted her enough to let her wear it. He loved her enough to-

Kayla pried her eyes away and made yet another mistake: she looked up at him. Those eyes still looked like sweet, sweet molasses, and even though his locs were braided back, she could tell he was letting them grow out. She momentarily wondered who was retwisting them nowadays, but her train of thought was cut short by the scent of sandalwood and vanilla. Kayla’s mind went blank as she inhaled slowly.

“Heh, yeah. That was...that was pretty embarrassing. Not even gonna lie.” Erik looked away shyly, unable to hold her gaze.

“I guess you’ll need to find a new date spot, huh?”

“Nah, I think I’m good on dating for a while.”

“Same,” Kayla sighed. “Dating sucks.”

“Yeah…”

One of the bathroom doors unlocked, and a middle-aged white man stepped out and passed them on the way up the stairs.

“Well, I should-”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Kayla walked towards the bathroom, but before she could reach the door, she felt a light tug on her wrist. His touch still gave her goosebumps, and he noticed her raised skin as she turned to face him.

“I just, uh...it was nice seeing you, Kay-kay.” Erik smiled at her, and she nearly melted. She missed when he called her that, too. “You look good.”

“Thanks, E.” She smiled back. “So do you.”

He let her go, and Kayla disappeared into the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath to center herself. After all these months, Erik still took her breath away. He clouded her senses and scrambled her mind. Even as she took care of business, her brain replayed their short interaction on a loop.

Kayla locked eyes with her reflection as she dried her hands. How could she go back up there to- what’s his name? Oh, yeah, Da- Denzel. That’s it, Denzel. How could she go back up there to his mediocre company when the man she still loved had made her feel so alive with just one touch. That was the magic of Erik, his magnetism. When they were together, she couldn’t help but be drawn to him, even when she wanted to slap him across his beautiful face. Those were some of the best times, though. If she was angry at him, he knew exactly what to do to calm her down. To put her in her place. To remind her-

Kayla’s daydreaming was cut short by a knock at the door.

“Occupied!”

It came again.

“I’ll be out in a minute!”

She reached for another paper towel to dab off the sweat that had started to pool on her skin at the thought of Erik’s dominance when the door opened.

“What the f- Erik?!”

He pushed inside the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

“You need to start locking doors, Kay.”

“I- what do you want?”

“I want to talk to you,” he spoke as he moved closer to her.

“Here?!”

“Yeah, here,” he chuckled.

Kayla rolled her eyes and tried to push past him.

“Now is not the time or place-”

“When is?” he blocked her exit, and she crossed her arms in defeat, looking up at him through her lashes as she leaned against the sink. “Look, I just need to say something real quick.”

“Fine,” Kayla sighed and gestured for him to continue. She knew there was no use fighting him. She wasn’t leaving that bathroom until he was good and ready.

“Kay,” his voice softened, and she looked away only to have her face pulled back in his direction. “Kay-kay, look at me.”

She made the mistake of doing just that, getting lost in his eyes again.

“I miss you,” Erik murmured.

“Erik-”

“Look, I know, ok? I know. And I’m sorry, Kay. I really am- no, look at me. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough for you...but I miss you, girl.”

Kayla’s eyes welled up with tears that she tried her hardest to blink away, but one had the nerve to fall. Erik wiped it away, and the next one, and the next one. A sob wracked Kayla’s body, and he wrapped his arms around her body.

“Don’t cry, babygirl. I know you worked hard on your makeup.”

Kayla laughed through her tears, but the emotions washed back over her, and she buried her face into his chest. It was already soaked with gin, so what harm would a few tears do?

He held her and rocked her softly from side to side as she cried, and after a couple of minutes, she found the will to look up at him again. His cheeks were wet, so she reached up and swiped her thumbs over them as she held his face in her small hands. He nuzzled into them and kissed her wrists.

“I miss you, too, E,” she croaked.

“I know, babygirl.”

He leaned in to kiss her forehead, and she closed her eyes as his soft lips caressed her skin. They stayed intertwined for who knows how long until Erik felt Kayla begin to pull back. He looked down at her, and the two of them locked eyes. Before they knew it, their lips had met in the middle in a passionate embrace. They got lost in each other for a moment until common sense returned to Kayla, and she pushed him off.

“We can’t-”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

“Because what, Kay?” Erik’s voice rumbled as he closed what little gap was between their bodies. He left soft kisses on her temples before working down to her cheeks, then her jawline, and eventually the column of her neck. She let out a soft whimper when his teeth grazed the crook of her neck but pushed him back again before he could continue any further.

“Erik, I...I still love you, and-”

He attacked her lips with his, hands feverishly gripping her waist as he pushed her further into the sink. She had nowhere to go, and she was ok with that.

“I...love you...too...babygirl,” he whispered between kisses.

Kayla’s mind went blank as he lifted her up on the counter and pressed himself between her legs. She could feel him, all of him, and damn did she miss that monster between his legs.

“Erik,” she moaned as he nipped at her earlobe. He still knew how to play her body like a violin.

“Mmm, say it again.”

“Erik!” she squeaked as she felt his strong hands grip her thighs.

“Just like that,” he groaned, and she flooded her already wet panties.

“Baby-”

He connected his forehead to hers and stared deep into her eyes. “You miss me?”

“Mhm,” Kayla nodded with her lip between her teeth.

“I miss you, too, baby. I think about you all the time. Every day,” he pecked her lips, “every night. I miss everything about you, Kay-kay. Your off-key singing, your horrible cooking-”

“Shut up,” Kayla giggled as his hands traveled up her dress.

“Your body…fuck I miss this body. I miss how you smell, how you taste...how that tight little pussy feels wrapped around my dick.”

Kayla widened her legs for him as his fingers found their way to the seat of her panties, stroking up and down her slit. Erik kissed his way back down her face and over to her ear, his warm breath sending chills down her spine.

“Do you think about me when you touch yourself? Because I do. You’re all I see when I stroke my dick...wishing it was your hand...your lips...this fucking pussy.”

Erik pushed her panties to the side, and his nimble fingers circled her clit. Kayla let out a small moan that was music to his ears, making fingers move faster and her breath grow shallower with each rotation.

“Answer me.”

“Mhm.”

“Come on, babygirl, you can do better than that. You think about me when you play in your pussy? This pussy right here?” he asked as he slapped her vulva, her wetness sticking to his hand.

“Y-yes, baby-”

“Uh-uh, you know who I am. Say it,” Erik commanded as he snuck three fingers inside her wetness, making her moan loudly in his ear. “Shhh, you gotta be quiet, babygirl. You don’t want people out there knowing how much of a slut you are, right?”

Kayla shook her head no.

“That’s what I thought. Now, I asked you a question, Kayla,” he reminded her. His gruff voice made her weak, and the fingers that were steadily speeding up inside her certainly didn’t help. “Answer me. Who am I, babygirl?”

Kayla tried to hold out as much as she could. She didn’t want to say it, too proud to give in, but the way he was currently stretching out her pussy and curling his fingers inside her made her cling to his shoulders. The bastard knew what he was doing, and she didn’t want to let him win. But then, he played dirty and bit down on her neck. She cried out, and when he pulled back to look at her, the ferocity in his eyes drove her up the wall.

“I said, who the fuck am I, Kayla?” Erik growled. His hand sped up, making her weak with every thrust. She couldn’t hold it anymore and came undone around him, her mouth betraying her as his name fell from her lips.

“Daddy!” she gasped as her pussy spasmed, and he chuckled darkly.

“Damn right I am,” he kissed her lips, “now gimme that pussy. Daddy missed his pussy.”

Kayla heard a rip and felt the cool air between her legs as he tore through her panties to get to her treasure trove. She reached down between them and grabbed his clothed erection in her hand, making him groan as he bit down on his luscious bottom lip. She undid his belt buckle and slowly unzipped his pants before reaching in and pulling out his throbbing dick.

The longing in her eyes told him everything he needed to know, so he pushed her legs back and tapped his head on her clit.

“You want daddy’s dick in you?”

“Mhm,” she whimpered.

“Good.”

He pushed in and groaned at the feeling of her pussy walls gripping him as he sheathed himself inside her.

“Fuck, you feel like home.”

Kayla moaned into his neck in response and wound her hips against him, meeting him thrust for thrust as he stroked into her slow and deep. She couldn’t form words. He felt so damn good inside her that Kayla’s brain had short-circuited. Erik’s dick hit spots that she could never find herself no matter how hard she tried. Even in her dreams, he drove her body wild. She had spent the last year trying to find somebody, anybody who could make her feel that way, but nobody could compare to Erik Stevens.

Erik and Kayla panted heavily into each others’ mouths as he made love to her body, and as soon as Kayla started to tense up, his thrusts grew harder.

“I-I-”

“I know, babygirl. Daddy feels it,” he groaned as he nipped at her bottom lip. “Cum on my dick like a good girl.”

His words sent Kayla into overdrive, and her body shook as she spilled over him. Her spasming walls hugged him tight, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, begging him with her eyes.

“You feel amazing,” she moaned.

“Mhm. I know them other niggas wasn’t hitting it like this. I just know it. Look at you, cumming all over daddy’s dick. Look at it!” He grabbed her chin and made her look down at her throbbing pussy as his dick slid in and out of her.

“We look so good, daddy!”

Erik slammed into her, and she bit into his shoulder to keep from screaming. He gave her his all over and over, rocking the countertop in the process.

“We’ll look even better if you let me cum in this pussy. Mix my cum with yours-”

“Yes!”

“Yes?” He chuckled. “You want it that bad, huh? Nasty ass, in here getting fucked while that bum ass nigga’s waiting for you upstairs.”

“Mmm, I want it.”

“Want what, babygirl?” Erik teased as he brought his thumb to her clit, strumming it slowly as he thrust into her.

“You. I want you to cum deep in me.”

“Shit,” Erik groaned. “You want it deep in there?”

“Mhm. Put it where it belongs, daddy.” Kayla licked up the side of his neck, making his knees buckle. “Cum in your pussy.”

Erik lost all sense of control and pounded into her tight pussy, somehow getting even deeper in preparation for his release. Kayla held on tight as she felt him begin to spasm inside her, and she released around him again as his deep moans tickled her ear. Erik thrust extra deep and held his dick in place as he emptied his balls into her warmth, whimpering lightly as she rubbed his back to soothe him and bring him back down.

“I missed you, babygirl.”

“I missed you, too, daddy.”

They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other until their breathing slowed. Erik was the first to move, slowly pulling himself out of Kayla as she whined at the loss of contact. He kissed all over her face before planting a slow, sweet kiss on her lips.

“I can’t let you go again, Kay-kay,” his voice cracked as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.

Kayla pulled him back in and kissed him so deeply that she nearly lost herself in him again, but he pulled away and looked her in her eyes.

“I’m serious, girl. I’ll do anything. I’ll marry you, give you as many big-headed babies as you want. Just, please, Kay-” she cut him off with another kiss to shut him up.

“We should go back to my place and talk,” she whispered, and Erik’s face lit up. Something about the way she said it, the way she kissed him, the way her body still responded to his...it gave him hope. Kayla smiled at him and pecked his lips once more before hopping off of the sink. He had to catch her because her legs were wobbly, and she stumbled a little in her heels.

“You aight?” he laughed.

“No, nigga,” she slapped his chest, and the two of them got caught in a laughing fit. They had really just fucked in the bathroom at Chez Martine. Kayla was on cloud nine until a thought occurred to her, and her face fell flat. “Oh, shit.”

“What?” Erik’s face turned serious, and his eyes scanned over her body, looking for whatever the problem was.

Kayla started giggling again, and he looked confused.

“What is it?” he asked, barely able to keep a straight face. Her laugh was always so infectious…

“Demetrius.”

“Who?!”

“My date.”

“Girl, don’t worry about him. He probably thinks you dipped out anyway.”

Kayla shrugged and fixed her dress as Erik stuffed his shirt back in his pants. They checked their reflections in the mirror, and Kayla was pleasantly surprised that her makeup was still intact thanks to that setting spray she had splurged on the other day.

“Ready?” Erik asked as he admired her beauty. Kayla nodded, and he unlocked the door, opening it to find Duncan leaning against the wall with a sour look on his face. Kayla’s eyes blew wide as she tried to figure out what to say to her date for the evening.

“Heyyy, um…”

“Denzel,” he seethed.

“Yeah, sorry. So, um, we’re-”

“Sorry, bruh,” Erik clapped him on the shoulder, “but we heading out. Bathroom’s all yours, though.”

Erik pulled Kayla along, and she sent Deion an apologetic glance before following Erik up the stairs. It seemed the whole restaurant knew what had occurred, but neither one of them cared. They were just happy to be around each other again. It had been entirely too long.

Taglist: @ladymac82, @kitesatforestp, @harleycativy, @raysunshine78, @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife, @motheroffae, @love-mesome-me,@toni9, @bribrisback, @impremenior, @blacklytical, @uzumaki-rebellion, @honeyandpeaches, @cecereads209, @wakandama2,